Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
After the New Year, the weather gradually warmed up, and the farmers began to get busy. First, they had to tidy up the Paddy Field, leveling the ground, digging, irrigating, and sowing seeds. Then, when the seedlings grew, they would transplant them, which is known as rice planting. Once this series of tasks was completed, spring would have already passed.
Meihua's wedding coincided with the seedling preparation period. After a winter of preparation, the event was quite lively and caused a stir throughout Caotou Village.
Zhao Linting placed great importance on Meihua's wedding, arriving to pick up the bride with drums and gongs, carried in a grand sedan chair. He was already quite handsome, and dressed in bright red, he looked exceptionally charming. His peach blossom eyes captivated countless Aunties and young wives in Caotou Village, making the men envious.
Meihua wore a bright red wedding dress designed by Xiao Lihua, adorned with exquisite embroidery that she had personally stitched. With her veil covering her face, she was carried by Xiao Dashu into the bridal sedan chair.
The Xiao Family was filled with joy and many people gathered. Everyone from the Xiao Family wore new clothes. Although their home remained the same, it felt more festive with plenty of snacks like sunflower seeds and peanuts laid out for guests, along with satisfying banquet dishes.
Meihua finally got married smoothly, easing a concern for the Xiao Family.
On the fourth day after the wedding, they returned to visit Xiaqiao Village to see Xiao Lihua.
A horse-drawn carriage entered Xiaqiao Village, attracting many curious gazes. Everyone recognized it as belonging to Zhao Family Manor nearby. The carriage had made several trips recently, and everyone knew that Zhao Linting had become Xiao Lihua's brother-in-law. They felt envious and jealous, wishing for Xiao Lihua's family to prosper even more; now her maternal family had also benefited from her marrying into a wealthy family.
Some idle onlookers followed behind the carriage. First, a pretty Maid stepped down from it, followed by a tall and handsome man. Not only was he good-looking but he also dressed well in a deep blue long gown. With a faint smile on his face and his slender eyes sweeping over them, many felt compelled to step back; even after seeing him multiple times, they still found him strikingly handsome.
Then they saw Zhao Linting extend his hand to help a delicate woman down from the carriage. She was petite, wearing a water-green silk top paired with a moon-white skirt. Her hair was simply adorned with two hairpins—one gold and one jade—and a large red flower that added to her festive appearance.
Upon seeing her face that resembled Xiao Lihua's by about sixty to seventy percent, everyone recognized her as Xiao Lihua's younger sister, Meihua.
"Oh my, Meihua looks even more beautiful after getting married! Truly, people rely on their clothing; she used to look just slightly better than average but now resembles a lady from a wealthy family."
"Of course! Just look at what she's wearing and what accessories she has; I think even those city ladies can't compare to her."
"She was already good-looking; otherwise, how could Zhao Gongzi have taken notice of her? They really do make a perfect couple standing together."
"My daughter is not bad-looking, why hasn't anyone noticed her? This Heaven is blind!"
"Your daughter doesn't have a capable sister like Xiao Lihua. I heard that Xiao Lihua sold her recipe to Zhao Gongzi's friend Hua Gongzi, who is the owner of the Flavor Fragrance Tower. Zhao Gongzi also has a share in it."
Someone who knew more said, feeling envious of Meihua, but even more envious of Xiao Lihua. Marrying a rich man is not as good as being rich oneself. The two sisters of the Xiao Family have one married a wealthy man and the other became wealthy herself. He couldn't relate to either and could only envy them here.
Others nodded in agreement, feeling envy and jealousy in their hearts, but had no other thoughts. After all, Xie Youshun and his wife are benevolent people. They built bridges for the Village and taught the villagers how to raise rabbits and chickens. Previously, these animals were prone to dying easily, but after their guidance, the death rate decreased significantly. They also allowed the Flavor Fragrance Tower to buy the pigs they raised, taking as many as they had, which meant they could earn much more than farming after a year.
Everyone could imagine that today would mark a new year for Xiaqiao Village. After this year, Xiaqiao Village would shed its reputation as a poor village and become a wealthy one, surpassing Shangqiao Village by tenfold or more.
Thinking about this, the people of Xiaqiao Village felt nothing but gratitude towards the Xie Youshun family. No matter how well-off they became, they had no ill intentions.
As they saw the door of Xie Youshun's house open, Xie Youshun and Xiao Lihua came out to greet them while Zhao Linting and Meihua went inside. Behind them, a Servant Girl carried several items, and everyone finally dispersed.
Zhang Shuitao and Sister Zhu stood among the crowd and left first. Zhang Shuitao left in anger while Sister Zhu followed her to talk.
"Shui Tao, have you seen how well the Fourth Family is doing? Even Zhao Gongzi has become related to them now. The Zhao Family Manor is huge; I've been inside and it's beautifully built. From now on, Xiao Lihua can roam freely there; she can probably stay as long as she wants. How wonderful for her."
Sister Zhu exclaimed. When the manor was being built, her husband delivered pork there, and she had been inside too. The place was vast with many houses, a lake, and rockeries. She heard that they would plant plenty of flowers and trees there; just thinking about it made her feel it would be beautiful. She wished she could live there; that would be a heavenly life for her. Unfortunately, she would never have enough money to build such a manor or even afford that large piece of land.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuitao pursed her lips tightly and said, "What kind of sister-in-law stays at her brother-in-law's house all the time? If she doesn't mind losing face, let her go live there."
When Sister Zhu heard this from Zhang Shuitao, she knew she was angry. She understood that Zhang Shuitao was proud and didn't get along well with Xiao Lihua. She must be unable to stand seeing Xiao Lihua living so well; she wanted to make her uncomfortable so that later she could find trouble with her. Alone she couldn't compete with Xiao Lihua, but with Zhang Shuitao, she'd have an ally.
"Shui Tao, why hasn't Golden Phoenix come back recently?" asked Sister Zhu.
"Zhang Shuitao replied, "It's springtime; we're busy here, and she's busy over there too."
"I heard that Golden Phoenix gets along well with Ruyi. Ruyi is now a concubine in the Gao Family, and I've heard that she's doing quite well. Someone from our village mentioned that she made quite a few seasonal clothes at Qiao Xiu Fabric Shop."
"I didn't know that. I've been staying in the countryside, so I have no idea about their affairs," Zhang Shuitao said impatiently, but in her heart, she thought that Ruyi wasn't getting along well with Xiao Lihua either, and the relationship between the Gao Family and Xiao Lihua was even worse. It seemed that Golden Phoenix's good relationship with Ruyi might not be a good thing after all.
Sister Zhu noticed that Zhang Shuitao was not interested in talking to her, so she lazily said she had something to do at home and turned to leave.
When Zhang Shuitao returned home, she saw Yang Cao carrying a stack of clothes into the main room. She asked what it was.
Yang Cao smiled and said, "The weather is getting warmer, so I'm making clothes for our parents."
Just then, the Village Chief's Daughter-in-Law came out and, upon hearing Yang Cao's words, immediately smiled and said, "What clothes are you making for us? We still have enough clothes to wear; last year's clothes are only half worn out. You just got a little money in your hands and started spending it recklessly without saving."
The Village Chief's Daughter-in-Law was not very satisfied that Yang Cao had only given birth to one daughter over the years. However, she was pleased with Yang Cao's competence and filial piety. So aside from occasionally favoring her younger son and grandson, she generally treated Yang Cao well. Especially when the two daughters-in-law were at odds, she did not show favoritism toward either one. When her daughter was unmarried and got along well with the younger daughter-in-law, she treated the younger daughter-in-law better. Now that her daughter was married, her attitude had become much more stable.
Recently, the Village Chief's Daughter-in-Law felt that the younger daughter-in-law was not behaving properly while the older daughter-in-law was becoming more sensible.
Before the New Year, her eldest son worked alongside Xie Youshun and others. The villagers all said they were making money. Although her eldest son refused to admit it, he received quite a few gifts from his older daughter-in-law during the New Year celebrations, including new winter clothes and even a gold ring. Now he was making new clothes for the old couple; he really put in effort.
Yang Cao smiled and said, "Mother, we still have enough money to spend. I went to the fabric shop to sell some things and found a piece of fabric that would be perfect for making you clothes. You would definitely look like a wealthy lady wearing it. So I bought it back; I'm not spending money recklessly—spending money on our parents is a serious matter."
Upon hearing this, the Village Chief's Daughter-in-Law became even happier and thought that Yang Cao was becoming more eloquent.
Zhang Shuitao listened from the side and felt frustrated. She thought about how her brother and sister-in-law were making quite a bit of money following Xiao Lihua; surely they earned enough to buy all the fabric in the shop! Just making two outfits for the old lady had made her so happy—it really infuriated her. She wasn't short on money; she just couldn't bring herself to spend it.
Zhang Shuitao went into the room to complain to Li Long, who turned around and criticized her for not knowing how to flatter people. Then he rolled over on the kang, turning his back to her and ignoring her. Zhang Shuitao was so angry that she wanted to grab him but ultimately didn't do it; instead, she sat on the edge of the kang sulking.
Xiao Lihua was very happy to see her sister living well. After lunch, she sent off her sister and freshly baked brother-in-law before heading to the fields with Xie Youshun, bringing along their two children as well.
The fields are a vibrant green, either growing wheat or newly sprouted rice seedlings. In the fields, one can always see figures busy removing the wild grasses and vegetables that have just emerged. At this time, there are no pesticides; everything relies on their two hands to eliminate pests.
The two heavy snowfalls in winter were significant, heralding a good year. Not only did the wheat seedlings grow lush and green, but even the wild grasses and vegetables thrived.
However, Xie Youshun is diligent, so the fields are quite clean. They are here to dig for wild vegetables, which are fresh at this time and great for pickling or making fillings.
“Mother, mother, it’s Copper Coin and the others.”
Shitou called out to Xiao Lihua, pointing with his little hand to a spot not far away where Copper Coin was playing with several other children. His eyes sparkled with excitement, clearly wanting to join them.
Xiao Lihua smiled and said, “Go play with them, but don’t be naughty. Come back before dinner.”
“Got it, mother! We’re off!” Shitou happily replied, pulling along Muzi's hand as they ran off.
“Now that these two little ones have gone, let’s take a break,” Xie Youshun said as he pulled Xiao Lihua down to sit. The couple chatted while picking wild vegetables. Their relationship had grown very strong; although their children were no longer small, they still felt like they were in the throes of love. Even sitting together picking vegetables could feel so affectionate.
Under the blue sky and among the green grass, with a gentle spring breeze carrying a slight chill, the feeling of happiness was intense. Xiao Lihua felt very happy; it seemed that happiness was something that could be interrupted by others. Just then, she saw Copper Coin running over quickly, urging them to come over because something had happened.
Comment 0 Comment Count